Monthly Archives: September 2016

19 down…3 to go!!!!….
THIS IS DAY 19 OF 22 push ups a day for 22 days to raise awareness for veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, many driven to taking their own lives as a result. These are people who’ve been witness to situations and scenes of unimaginable horror and violence in the line of their duties carried out ultimately in our interest and appear to be receiving little or no support from the government that issued their orders. We elected that government whether you like it or not, that’s democracy…and if you still don’t like it take a closer look at the alternatives. They’ve been through this so that people like you and I can have freedom of choice, speech, political, religious, even artistic and musical views and aspire to live the lives we choose, clean or messy, without fear of persecution, incarceration, torture or violent death at the hands of extremists, fundamentalists and other assorted nutjobs.The world and social media seems full of people trying to seperate us from our money for whatever worthy cause, but even if you take a minute to text just 2 quid to this, it all helps. Please have a read.
http://www.combatstress.org.uk/support-us/22pushupchallenge/
Text “PTSD22 £2 or £5 or £10” to 70070. For a small contribution that can go a long way.

Apologies for adding more confusion, it was one of those ‘hangover without doing anything last night’ mornings…camera didn;t work the first time and had to do it over again..still assessing the damage….and wishful thinking/delirium made me believe it was day 18……NOT SO….its DAY 17. :-$
THIS IS MY DAY 17 OF 22 push ups a day for 22 days to raise awareness for veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, many driven to taking their own lives as a result. These are people who’ve been witness to situations and scenes of unimaginable horror in the line of their duties carried out ultimately in our interest and appear to be receiving little or no support from the government that issued their orders. We elected that government whether you like it or not, that’s democracy…and if you still don’t like it take a closer look at the alternatives. They’ve been through this so that people like you and I can have freedom of choice, speech, political, religious, even artistic and musical views and aspire to live the lives we choose, clean or messy, without fear of persecution, incarceration, torture or violent death at the hands of extremists, fundamentalists and other assorted nutjobs.The world and social media seems full of people trying to seperate us from our money for whatever worthy cause, but even if you take a minute to text just 2 quid to this, it all helps. Please have a read.
http://www.combatstress.org.uk/support-us/22pushupchallenge/
Text “PTSD22 £2 or £5 or £10” to 70070. For a small contribution that can go a long way.

Check this…..Faceache wouldn’t let me post today’s(Day 16) vid taken at Puregym because the dreadful MTV canned music they insist on playing there at top volume is captured on it and I’m infringing the copyright of whoever was singing to a backing track that was lifted from somebody else’s record..which was probably several generations on from when (or if) the music was actually played by a person with any measure of skill or musicality….absolutely priceless!!!
Could easily fall into the trap of going into an old boy’s rant about people who play records or operate music playing ‘machinery’ being bigger stars with wider appeal than people who can actually play a musical instrument….but of course I try as hard as poss to keep up and would NEVER do that :-)….
THIS IS MY DAY 16 OF 22 push ups a day for 22 days to raise awareness for veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, many driven to taking their own lives as a result. These are people who’ve been witness to situations and scenes of unimaginable horror in the line of their duties carried out ultimately in our interest and appear to be receiving little or no support from the government that issued their orders. We elected that government whether you like it or not, that’s democracy…and if you still don’t like it take a closer look at the alternatives. They’ve been through this so that people like you and I can have freedom of choice, speech, political, religious, even artistic and musical views and aspire to live the lives we choose, without fear of persecution, incarceration, torture or violent death at the hands of extremists, fundamentalists and other assorted nutjobs.The world and social media seems full of people trying to seperate us from our money for whatever worthy cause, but even if you take a minute to text just 2 quid to this, it all helps. Please have a read.
http://www.combatstress.org.uk/support-us/22pushupchallenge/
Text “PTSD22 £2 or £5 or £10” to 70070. For a small contribution that can go a long way.

I am trying to contemplate the reality of the world in these crisis times. Here is my editorial for PAJ 114 (Fall, 2016).
Life and Death Matters
Where should I begin? It’s been a difficult stretch in the weeks leading up to completing PAJ 114. Suicide bombings, the Orlando massacre, refugees floating in the sea, Brexit, police shootings, and the death of my beloved mother. As I look over the contributions to this issue, I have before me reflections on the incandescent achievement of Tadeusz Kantor, who wrought his great work from the shards of World War II and communism; an essay that finds avant-garde spiritual vanguardism in the act of a Buddhist monk who, in 1963, startled the world with his self-immolation in protest of the Vietnam war; Aleister Crowley’s fierce anti-fundamentalist play, written against the background of World War 1; and, closer to our own time, notes on the use of Greek plays in their healing effects on veterans of Middle East wars complete the historical touchstones.
If I have emphasized the more overtly political contents of the issue, that is by no means to neglect the several valuable commentaries on dance, theatre, and media. Life goes on. In the midst of momentous local and global events, social transformation, and emotional turmoil there is always the work of art. Artists struggle with materials, solve internal conflicts, imagine new worlds. We still acknowledge the importance of human expression and creative spirit in the face of war, hatred, fear, grief, pendulum swings of ideologies. Imagination plows through catastrophe…
http://www.mitpressjournals.org/…/pdfp…/10.1162/PAJJ_a_00310

Our National Anthem
As I reflect today on the horror that was 911 (on this, the 15 year anniversary), I also think of the people who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom – the courageous men and women of our armed services. As far as I’m concerned, this also includes law enforcement, fire, medical and anyone who puts themselves in harms way to protect and serve.
Today is also Sunday. Observed by many as a Holy Day for most religions. It is also the first Sunday of the NFL football season. In stadiums all across our great nation – our National Anthem will take on great significance today. The overwhelming majority of American’s will observe and honor all who have sacrificed and served by standing at attention in a solemn gesture of support.
Still, there will be some who will sit or kneel in a selfish defiance to express their disappointment and protest. While I don’t wish to hash out the conversation that has been debated at nauseum – I would like to begin a discussion on another matter.
So let’s assume many more will swim upstream and sit during our National Anthem. Let’s also assume that others will support it as their 1st Amendment right to Freedom of Speech. Okay. Fine!
So what happens when the trend suddenly becomes the changing of the words to our National Anthem? What happens when someone inserts the words “Black Lives Matter”, “social injustice” or references police brutality and/or vulgarity?
I feel it’s only a matter of time and this will happen. Of course, I hope to God I am wrong . . . but the direction of our morally bankrupt country that is void of common sense tells me it’s inevitable. So, what then? Will the same people support vulgarity or lyric changes to our National Anthem the same way they support sitting down? Is it different?
When will we eventually say “enough is enough” and we won’t stand for selfish acts of protest that spit in the face of our morals, values and common sense standards? There shouldn’t have to be a law to stand for our National Anthem. There shouldn’t have to be a law that protects common sense standards of decency – especially where it pertains to being patriotic. It should just be a given. An unspoken rule.
So what happens when the lyrics of the National Anthem are altered? What then? Where do we (as a society) draw the line? How do we draw the line? Should there be consequences? Will we demand them, debate them or simply accept them?
Those are my thoughts for tonight. God Bless all who have sacrificed and continue to protect and serve. <3